Preserves

Directed by B. Rich and produced by Anuradha Rana ($10,000) What happens when a natural preserve is also an oil reserve? “Preserves” is a 12-minute documentary that explores this question through one of the most biodiverse places on Earth - Yasuní National Park, located in the Amazonian basin of Ecuador. Through poetic visuals, experimental animation and a haunting soundtrack, “Preserves” is a journey of discovery and appreciation of the life that will be lost when an ecosystem is destroyed to provide nine days worth of petroleum for an oil-drunk world. The film takes the audience on a journey through the opulent splendor of the Yasuní and deep into the devastation that continues to be wrought by the country’s tenuous 40-year history of oil production.